Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I begin by expressing my revulsion, the revulsion of my party and I am sure the revulsion of all of us across the House, at the latest war crime committed by Russia in Ukraine, namely, the bombing of a maternity and children's hospital in Mariupol. A picture from that atrocity of a heavily pregnant and bloodied woman being stretchered away from the smouldering ruins of the hospital is on the front pages across the globe today. It should remain burned into all of our brains. This is Putin's Russia, an evil regime that thinks nothing of dropping missiles onto pregnant women, newborn babies and little children.

Yesterday's horror in Mariupol, where the dead are now being buried in mass graves, underscores that we need to do everything we can to help as many people as possible escape the barbarity of Putin. The Irish people have acted with extraordinary generosity in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by this war. Thousands of offers of accommodation have already been made. In schools throughout the country, Ukrainian children have already started to attend classes. I acknowledge that the State has acted quickly and with speed for what can often be lengthy bureaucratic processes, be they in residency rights, the issuing of personal public service, PPS, numbers and healthcare entitlements. However, the State will have to do more than merely extend the right to use services to Ukrainian refugees. It must adequately resource those services to cater for the increased demands and increasing need of those experiencing them.

We know, for example, the childcare system in Ireland is at breaking point with waiting lists of 12 months or more in some areas. We also know that for those parents lucky enough to find a childcare place, the costs are equivalent to a second mortgage. The healthcare services are also under unprecedented pressure. Almost 1 million people are currently on public hospital waiting lists waiting to be treated or assessed, nearly 100,000 of whom are children. Disability services are also in crisis. In December, the Ombudsman for Children heavily criticised the Government for its failure to provide assessments for thousands of children. Not only is the State failing to provide adequate services, it is even failing to assess what services children currently need. Meanwhile, we all know that in the midst of a catastrophic housing crisis, more than 9,000 people are now in emergency accommodation, including more than 2,500 children.

When the Ukrainian people come to Ireland seeking refuge and as we open our doors, we must ensure they are able to access the services they are not only entitled to but that they will need. What additional resources, and please be specific, will be provided to childcare services, to education to meet the trauma being experienced by these children as they go into our schools, to the health service, and to the housing services to ensure the entitlements can be delivered upon and the need will be met?

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